(mental+ability)

δαιμόνιον, ου, τό (substant. neut. of the adj. δαιμόνιος [s. 2 below δαιμόνιον πνεῦμα], quotable since Homer; OGI 383, 175; Herm. Wr. 10, 19; Ps.-Phoc. 101; En 19:1; TestSol; GrBar 16:3; Philo; Jos., Bell. 1, 373; 6, 429) in Gk. lit. the δαιμον-family refers in general to powerful entities that transcend ordinary experience. After Homer’s time, the adj. δαιμόνιος means anything ‘sent from heaven’ or ‘that which is divine’ and the subst. τὸ δ. comes to mean ‘divine manifestation’ or ‘heaven’, as in our expression ‘what heaven decrees’ (Hdt. 5, 87, 2; cp. SIG 601, 15; Jos., Bell. 1, 69); or simply ‘the divine’ (Eur., Bacch. 894); cp. SIG 545, 14 (of religious piety). In our lit. the subst. gener. denotes a malevolent force.

① transcendent incorporeal being w. status between humans and deities, daemon (as distinguished from demon, which in Eng. gener. connotes inimical aspect), semi-divine being, a divinity, spirit, (higher) power, without neg. connotation. The subst. was freq. used by Hellenes in a gener. sense esp. of independent numinous beings or divinities, as distinguished from a more personalized θεός, e.g. nymphs, Panes, and Sileni (Pla., Symp. 23 p. 202e πᾶν τὸ δαιμόνιον μεταξύ ἐστι θεοῦ τε καὶ θνητοῦ=‘every δ. is between a god and a mortal’; cp. Philo, Mos. 1, 276; UPZ 144, 43; 50 [164 B.C.]; Vett. Val. 355, 15; Ps.-Lucian, Asinus 24 p. 592 οὐδὲ τὰ δ. δέδοικας; ‘aren’t you afraid of the spirits [powers]?’ The term is common in adjurations, e.g., δαιμόνιον πνεῦμα, w. ref. to the spirit of the departed as possessing extraordinary powers: lead tablet fr. Hadrumetum [Dssm., B 26, 35 (BS 271ff)]; PGM 4, 3038; 3065; 3075). ξένων δ. καταγγελεύς a preacher of strange divinities Ac 17:18 (cp. Pla., Apol. 26b; X., Mem. 1, 1, 1 καινὰ δαιμόνια εἰσφέρειν).

② a hostile transcendent being w. status between humans and deities, spirit, power, hostile divinity, evil spirit, the neg. component may be either specific or contextual, and w. the sense commonly associated w. the loanword ‘demon’ (δ. φαῦλα: Chrysipp. [Stoic. II 338, 32, no. 1178]; Plut., Mor. 1051c. φαῦλ. δ.: Plut., Mor. 277a, Dio 2, 5. Vett. Val. 67, 5; 99, 7. Herm. Wr. 9, 3; PGM 4, 3081; 5, 120; 165; 170; LXX; En 19:1). Beings of this type are said to enter into persons and cause illness, esp. of the mental variety (GrBar 16:3 ἐν μαχαίρᾳ … ἐν δαιμονίοις as punishment; Jos., Bell. 7, 185 [of the spirits of deceased wicked people], Ant. 6, 166ff; 211; 214; 8, 45ff): δ. εἰσέρχεται εἴς τινα Lk 8:30; δ. ἔχειν Mt 11:18; Lk 7:33; 8:27; J 7:20; 8:48f, 52; 10:20. ἔχων πνεῦμα δαιμονίου ἀκαθάρτου who was under the control of an unclean power Lk 4:33. ῥῖψαν αὐτὸν τὸ δ. vs. 35; cp. ἔρρηξεν 9:42. Hence the healing of a sick person is described as the driving out of malignant forces ἐκβάλλειν (τ.) δ. (Jos., Ant. 6, 211) Mt 7:22; 9:34; 10:8; 12:24, 27f; Mk 1:34, 39; 3:15, 22; 6:13; 7:26; 9:38; 16:9, 17; Lk 9:49; 11:14f, 18ff; 13:32. Pass. Mt 9:33. ἐξουσίαν ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ δ. Lk 9:1. τὰ δʼ ὑποτάσσεται ἡμῖν 10:17. ἐξέρχεται τὸ δ. (s. ἐξέρχομαι 1aβב.—Thrasyllus [I A.D.] in Ps.-Plut., Fluv. 16, 2 ἀπέρχεται τὸ δαιμόνιον) Mt 17:18; Mk 7:29f; Lk 4:41; 8:2, 33, 35, 38. Some live in deserted places 8:29, hence a ruined city is a habitation of (malevolent) powers Rv 18:2 (cp. Is 13:21; 34:11, 14; Bar 4:35). Their ruler is βεελζεβούλ (q.v.) Mt 12:24, 27; Lk 11:15, 18f. Erroneous instruction is διδασκαλίαι δαιμονίων (subj. gen.) 1 Ti 4:1. The ability of such beings to work miracles is variously described J 10:21 and Rv 16:14. They are objects of polytheistic worship 9:20 (Dt 32:17; Bar 4:7; cp. Ps 95:5; 105:37; En 19:1; 99:7; Just., Tat.; SibOr Fgm. 1, 22. Likew. among Persians and Babylonians: Cumont³ 305, 97) 1 Cor 10:20f (w. satirical reference to the secondary status of these members of the spirit-world relative to deity); B 16:7. On Js 2:19 s. φρίσσω.—Of the evil spirit of slander Hm 2:3; of vengeance Hs 9, 23, 5; of arrogance Hs 9, 22, 3.—The δ. can appear without a tangible body, and then acts as a phantom or ghost ISm 3:2.—JGeffcken, Zwei griech. Apologeten 1907, 216ff; JTambornino, De Antiquorum Daemonismo 1909; RWünsch, D. Geisterbannung im Altertum: Festschr. Univ. Breslau 1911, 9–32; WBousset, Z. Dämonologie d. späteren Antike: ARW 18, 1915, 134–72; FAndres, Daimon: Pauly-W. Suppl. III 1918, 267–322; MPohlenz, Stoa ’49 (index).—HDuhm, D. bösen Geister im AT 1904; GBarton, EncRelEth IV 1911, 594–601; AJirku, Die Dämonen u. ihre Abwehr im AT 1912; ALods, Marti Festschr. 1925, 181–93; HKaupel, D. Dämonen im AT 1930; Bousset, Rel.³ 1926, 331ff; Billerb. IV 1928, 501–35; TCanaan, M.D., Dämonenglaube im Lande der Bibel 1929 1–20.—WAlexander, Demonic Possession in the NT 1902; JSmit, De Daemonicis in Hist. Evang. 1913; RBultmann, Gesch. d. Syn. Tradition² ’31, 223ff; HEberlein, NKZ 42, ’31, 499–509; 562–72; FFenner, D. Krankheit im NT 1930; ATitius, NBonwetsch Festschr. 1918, 25–47; GSulzer, D. Besessenheitsheilungen Jesu 1921; HSeng, D. Heilungen Jesu in med. Beleuchtung² 1926; WWrede, Z. Messiaserkenntnis d. Dämonen bei Mk: ZNW 5, 1904, 169–77; OBauernfeind, D. Worte d. Dämonen im Mk-Ev. 1928; AFridrichsen, Theology 21, ’31, 122–35; SMcCasland, By the Finger of God ’51; SEitrem, Some Notes on the Demonology in the NT: SymbOsl, Suppl. 12, ’50, 1–60; JKallas, The Satanward View (Paul), ’66; GTillesse, Le Secret Messianique dans Mk, ’68, 75–111; RAC IX 546–797; RMacMullen, VigChr 37, ’83, 174–92; G. Francois, Le polythéisme et l’emploi au singulier des mots ΘΕΟΣ ΔΑΙΜΩΝ ’57 (lit.); GRiley, Demon: DDD 445–55. S. also the lit. s.v. ἄγγελος.—B. 1488. DELG s.v. δαίμων. M-M. TW.